Futures Matter - Northwood, Birmingham
Futures Matter - Northwood is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Birmingham.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Futures Matter - Northwood in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Futures Matter - Northwood are Calthorpe Academy (0.2 miles, Good); R.Y.A.N Education Academy (0.6 miles, Good); New Perspectives School (0.7 miles, Good); and St Paul's School (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, selective).
Calthorpe AcademyR.Y.A.N Education AcademyNew Perspectives SchoolSt Paul's School
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bordesley Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Upper Conybere Street (opposite), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Futures Matter - Northwood stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1325 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Birmingham (435), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school is led by passionate leaders who have designed a carefully sequenced curriculum tailored to the needs of pupils with SEND. They have strong systems in place for safeguarding, behaviour support using positive strategies, and have addressed all premises concerns. The school plans personalised careers guidance from day one and uses adaptive teaching approaches to reduce barriers to learning.
Key Strengths
- Passionate leadership with clear vision for supporting pupils with SEND
- Broad, ambitious curriculum with personalised pathways and early reading focus
- Strong safeguarding procedures with experienced designated safeguarding lead
- Proactive approach to health and safety with professional oversight
- Well-equipped premises with suitable facilities for learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective - the school has established DfE-compliant procedures with an experienced designated safeguarding lead and clear systems for recording and reviewing incidents.
Extracurricular Activities
Off-site physical education at local leisure centre
Futures Matter - Northwood is a proposed independent school for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The inspection found it is likely to meet all independent school standards if registered.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Futures Matter - Northwood
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 126
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 126 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 17 serious and 107 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
14,956
Applications
14,483
Got 1st preference
75.7%
Got preferred school
97.4%
All secondary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
Special educational needs provision
Futures Matter - Northwood is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Futures Matter - Northwood
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Futures Matter - Northwood
Does Futures Matter - Northwood have specialist SEN provision?
Futures Matter - Northwood is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Futures Matter - Northwood?
Futures Matter - Northwood is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Futures Matter - Northwood?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 126 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 17 serious and 107 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Futures Matter - Northwood?
Futures Matter - Northwood is at 122 Emily Street, Highgate, Birmingham, B12 0XJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)